Alcaraz breezes previous Shevchenko in sturdy Open begin | USAEMALL.com

World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz has made a strong start to his bid for a maiden Australian Open crown, breezing through his first-round clash with Khazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko in less than two hours.

Alcaraz overcame a second-set hiccup to post a convincing 6-1 7-5 6-1 win at Margaret Court Arena on Monday night.

In doing so, the 21-year-old Spaniard maintained his record of never having lost in the first round at a grand slam.

The four-time major winner is chasing his first success at Melbourne Park and has his eyes set on becoming the youngest player to complete a career grand slam.

He next faces a second-round clash with Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka, who fought past qualifier Aziz Dougaz 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

Alcaraz managed six aces with his remodelled service action to Shevchenko’s none, and plundered 38 winners to 18.

It was a solid display in the first competitive match of the season for Alcaraz, who opted for a pair of exhibition matches last week rather than playing any lead-up tournaments.

“There is no secret – I think it’s hard work,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview.

“I try to be the better of me every day.

“Every day that I wake up I try to be better: a better person, better player.”

Lauded for his humility after a video clip of him interacting with Australian Open support staff went viral this week, Alcaraz further endeared himself to the local crowd in a dominant start.

He claimed the first set in just 28 minutes, breaking his opponent’s serve for the third time with a brilliant cross-court forehand winner.

Alcaraz briefly lost concentration and had to dig himself out of a 3-5 hole to rescue the second set, snapping out of the funk to peel off the next four straight games.

Another distraction arose early in the third set when a small group of unruly spectators were warned by the chair umpire over their behaviour.

Alcaraz steadied, aced his next serve to take a 2-1 lead and closed out the match with ease.